Engineering Disasters

Does anyone remember the Tacoma Narrows Bridge incident on November 7, 1940? An engineering design flaw resulted in the bridge's spectacular collapse during high winds. While not on the same order of scale, Madison (8) and Maris (6) experienced a catastrophic event with one of their recent engineering designs: the collapse of a hammock suspended from the poles in my walk-in closet. Fortunately, there were no injuries and the closet sustained only minor structural damage. The uncalculated variable was Emily's (12) weight when she attempted to use the hammock. The tensile strength of the tablecloth used to span the six-foot distance was appropriate for Emily's mass, however, as can be seen from the post-disaster photos, the metal shelf braces and fasteners were not of sufficient strength to thwart gravity's pull. The only thing holding the above shelf in place (left-side of photo) is a can of solvent used for cleaning firearms.

The girls are to be commended for their knot-tying skills, which remained intact and required substantial effort on my part to untie. Never a dull moment at my house!